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how WWOOF works

Click here to read a Guardian article giving a good introduction to how WWOOF works.

WWOOF UK holds a list of organic farms, gardens and smallholdings, all offering food and accommodation in exchange for practical help on their land. These hosts range from a low impact woodland settlement to a 600 hectare mixed holding with on-site farm shop, cafe and education centre. Hosts do not expect you to know a lot about farming when you arrive, but they do expect you to be willing to learn and able to fit in with their lifestyle.

All of our hosts must sign a declaration stating that they are farming using ecologically sound methods.Some are also certifiedorganic or biodynamic by national bodies.Certification is an expensive process and only really necessary for those growers who wish to sell their produce to the general public with the 'organic' label. We do not discriminate between those who are farming organically for sale and those who are farming ecologically for self sufficiency.

The list of hosts is available by joining WWOOF UK for a membership fee (£20 single membership, £30 joint). Once you have the list, it is up to you to contact hosts directly to arrange your stay. Your host should discuss what kinds of activities you will be asked to take part in, what accommodation is on offer and also the length of your stay.

Volunteers do not pay to stay with hosts and hosts do not pay volunteers for their help (generally 25-30 hours a week). WWOOFers are volunteers and therefore are more free to come and go than an employee. For this reason, hosts should not depend on them as an alternative to paid, skilled labour. For more details about how it all works, see our FAQs page.

Please remember that for insurance reasons, you have to be over 18 to WWOOF in the UK, unless you are accompanied by a parent or legal guardian.

WWOOF UK is a registered charity.

INFORMATION FOR PEOPLE FROM OUTSIDE OF THE EUROPEAN ECONOMIC AREA (EEA*)

Entering the UK as a 'general visitor' (tourist)

On 26th February 2015 changes were made to the UK Immigration Rules which clarify the type of activities all visitors to the UK are able to undertake. These changes take effect from 6th April 2015and pages 209/210 of the Statement of Changes to the Immigration Rules Hc1025 26 February 2015 state:

‘Volunteering

‘A visitor may undertake incidental volunteering, provided it lasts no more than 30 days in total and is for a charity that is registered with either the Charity Commission for England and Wales; the Charity Commission for Northern Ireland; or the Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator.’

WWOOF UK is a charity registered in England and Wales 1126220 and in Scotland SC045524 .

The rules will be posted at Immigration Rules in April 2015. Guidance will be posted on the IDI site. It will inevitably take a long time for everyone to learn about new rules (including Immigration Officers), so it's recommended that you print out the relevant text and carry it with you.

If you are travelling before 6th April 2015, these changes will NOT apply.

We are frequently asked about the Tier 5 (Charity Workers) visa. We understand that this visa cannot be obtained for WWOOFing. Neither WWOOF UK nor its host farms can act as sponsor for Tier 5 visa applications.

Youth Mobility Scheme

If you are from Australia, Japan, Canada or New Zealand and aged between 18-30 years old, you might be eligible for the Youth Mobility Scheme. You can only get this kind of visa once in a lifetime, and if you have previously visited the UK on a working holidaymaker visa you will not be eligible for this scheme.

Visiting the UK on the Youth Mobility Scheme entitles you to stay in the UK for up to 2 years, and undertake whatever work you like, including voluntary placements – such as WWOOFing. To be eligible you must satisfy the following criteria:

Other visas for volunteering in the UK from outside the European Union or EEA*

If you are coming to the UK principally for an activity other than volunteering (such as employment, studying, or as a spouse), it is possible that you will be able to volunteer with WWOOF as an additional activity. Please make sure to check your visa or entry clearance requirements, and make sure that you are allowed to volunteer on your visa.

The link below is to an information sheet produced by Volunteering England and it lists the rules for volunteering under specific visa types: